Alexander Tin's notes

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Here are some articles I’ve worked on for 2022. You can also find them by Googling me.

December 2022

• CDC urges Americans to “reconsider” travel to China over COVID surge, will require tests
• Free COVID test orders have topped 10 million this round. Here’s how to get yours.
• Life expectancy falls for second straight year due to COVID-19, drug overdoses, CDC report finds
• More than 9 in 10 kids have survived at least one bout with COVID, the CDC estimates
• White House brings back free at-home COVID test orders as part of “winter preparedness plan”
• Long COVID to blame for more than 3,500 deaths so far, CDC reports
• CDC recommends masks again in New York City, Los Angeles and other communities as COVID cases climb
• Updated COVID vaccines cleared for younger kids, but some will have to wait
• Senate report spotlights systemic problems behind early COVID response missteps
• End of blanket restriction on gay blood donors to face key federal vote next year
• Flu shots are a “very good match” to this season’s strains, CDC says

November 2022

• FDA likely to end blanket ban on sexually active gay men donating blood
• Health agencies renaming “monkeypox” as “mpox” to help fight stigma
• XBB variant’s arrival won’t cause a new deadly COVID surge, officials hope
• Taking an at-home COVID test? A new NIH website offers a way to report your results.
• In his final White House COVID briefing, Fauci voices hope for less deadly COVID wave this winter
• CDC now tracking BN.1, the latest new COVID variant on the rise

October 2022

• White House still expects new COVID boosters will offer better protection, but two new studies cast doubt
• Many U.S. labs cannot test for Ebola strain behind Uganda’s swelling outbreak
• Illinois, Maryland, New York and Nevada announce monkeypox deaths as official CDC tally rises to 6
• Why CDC advisers voted to add COVID vaccines to list of routine immunizations
• NIH probes whether Boston University COVID experiments should have triggered review
• Biden administration touts “big update” to COVID vaccines in new ads for boosters
• “Pretty troublesome”: New COVID variant BQ.1 now makes up 1 in 10 cases nationwide, CDC estimates
• How much better are updated COVID boosters? Pfizer announces first results in human clinical trial
• FDA and CDC clear updated COVID boosters for kids as young as 5 years old
• New COVID boosters off to a slower start than previous flu vaccine campaigns
• U.S. restarts airport screening for Ebola as outbreak in Uganda swells
• CDC ends daily reporting of COVID case and death data, in shift to weekly updates

September 2022

• What to know about COVID variants BA.4.6, BF.7 and BA.2.75, now growing nationwide
• Monkeypox vaccine appears to be working, but CDC still urges precautions
• U.S. ramps up search for undetected polio, as vaccinations stall in New York
• CDC says some nursing homes and hospitals no longer need to require universal masking
• Why it’s easier to find Pfizer’s updated COVID boosters than Moderna’s
• Biden says COVID-19 pandemic is “over” in U.S.
• Can you combine Paxlovid with other COVID-19 drugs? FDA says no, for some
• FDA warns monkeypox could mutate if antiviral drug is overused
• CDC warns about enterovirus in kids — and the risk of rare paralysis that can follow
• Second person in the U.S. dies after contracting monkeypox
• Biden administration is preparing for the end of free COVID-19 vaccines as funds run dry
• FDA and CDC clear the way for updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters to target Omicron

August 2022

• U.S. life expectancy drops again, marking worst 2-year decline in a century
• Texas confirms first U.S. death in monkeypox outbreak, says patient was “severely immunocompromised”
• Biden administration blames Congress for imminent pause of free COVID tests program
• Monkeypox vaccine supply nearly enough to cover entire at-risk population, say federal officials
• The U.S. no longer asks foreign tourists to quarantine — but still requires vaccinations
• What should schools do about monkeypox? New CDC guidelines weigh in
• CDC director Rochelle Walensky announces shake-up of the organization, citing COVID mistakes
• “Long COVID” federal response ramps up, with an NIH trial of potential treatments starting this fall
• CDC updates its COVID-19 guidelines in sweeping overhaul
• U.S. monkeypox cases surpass 10,000 as CDC still aims for “containment”
• U.S. declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency
• Monkeypox: What we know about the outbreak, vaccinations and treatments

July 2022

• Hospitals report more cases of parechovirus in infants: “This is not normal”
• CDC warns of deadly bacteria found in Mississippi soil after two residents sickened
• U.S. spots first monkeypox case in a pregnant woman as cases climb
• How is the BA.5 COVID-19 variant different from other strains?
• U.S. confirms first two cases of monkeypox in children — one case is in California
• What is Paxlovid? What to know about Pfizer’s COVID drug, its side effects and how to get it
• When will Novavax’s vaccine be available, and how can I get it?
• CDC recommends Novavax COVID vaccine after unanimous vote
• Fauci, 81, says he expects to retire by end of Biden’s current term: “My time is running out”
• CDC expects monkeypox cases will continue to climb through August
• More than 1 in 2 Americans now live in an area where CDC urges indoor masking to curb COVID-19 surges
• FDA authorizes Novavax as new alternative to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
• Newly published study shows cancer drug cuts risk of death for hospitalized high-risk COVID-19 patients

June 2022

• CDC now also recommends Moderna’s COVID vaccine for adolescents
• As New York City rolls out monkeypox vaccinations, CDC works to expand access
• COVID vaccines for kids as young as 6 months old are here. What parents need to know.
• CDC and FDA clear the way for COVID vaccines for kids under 5
• Here’s when the White House says parents could start scheduling COVID vaccines for kids under 5
• Moderna says updated COVID booster is superior to original vaccine shots, could begin shipping by August
• U.S. monkeypox cases are from at least two separate outbreaks, CDC says
• Why boosted Americans seem to be getting more COVID-19 infections

May 2022

• At least 4 states now offering monkeypox vaccine to at-risk contacts
• White House touts efforts to expand COVID test-to-treat sites amid latest wave
• “Long COVID” or “post-COVID” symptoms affect 1 in 4 seniors who survived infection, study finds
• Nearly half of Americans live in areas where they should consider masking, CDC data says
• CDC clears Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine boosters for children as young as 5
• 1 million COVID deaths: Pandemic’s tragic toll in U.S. extends far beyond the numbers
• Why some of Biden’s top doctors are wearing masks in “low” COVID areas
• Gun deaths surged to 20-year high amid pandemic, CDC reports
• What to know about “rebound” in COVID symptoms after taking Paxlovid
• Mental health shouldn’t be “treated like a stepchild” to physical health, says HHS chief

April 2022

• FDA could authorize COVID vaccine for children 5 and under, and Novavax vaccine, this June
• Moderna asks FDA to authorize its COVID vaccine for children ages 5 and under
• More than half of Americans, including 3 in 4 kids, have survived a case of COVID-19, CDC study suggests
• White House aims to boost use of COVID drugs like Paxlovid, citing plentiful supply
• Fauci fears judge’s ruling on travel mask mandate may set “dangerous precedent”
• FDA authorizes breath test that can detect COVID-19 in three minutes
• Pfizer and BioNTech to ask FDA to authorize COVID-19 booster for kids as young as 5
• BA.2 now more than 90% of new COVID-19 cases in the Northeast, CDC estimates
• Watching for new COVID variants in wildlife “now critical,” CDC says

March 2022

• FDA and CDC clear second booster of COVID vaccine for ages 50 and over
• Omicron subvariant BA.2 is now dominant in U.S., CDC estimates
• Omicron deaths of Johnson & Johnson recipients were double the rate of other vaccinated Americans, new data show
• “We trust the COVID vaccine,” heads of top medical groups say in ads targeting parents
• Pfizer asks FDA to OK fourth dose of COVID vaccine for seniors
• Omicron BA.2 subvariant now nearly a quarter of new COVID cases in U.S., CDC estimates
• The CDC could lose access to key data to track COVID-19
• Pfizer CEO says fourth dose of COVID vaccine is “necessary,” submits data to FDA
• Pfizer’s COVID vaccine less effective against Omicron in younger children, new study suggests
• COVID pandemic death toll may be 3 times higher than official tally, new study finds
• COVID-19 associated with “significant, deleterious impact” on brain, finds U.K. study
• White House lays out new COVID plan, will begin stockpiling tests and pills

February 2022

• COVID vaccine for children less effective against Omicron, but booster helps, study finds
• CDC revises mask guidelines, says millions of Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors
• Millions of children worldwide have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19: “The hidden pandemic”
• Biden administration has shipped more than 90% of free at-home COVID test orders

January 2022

• Novavax could offer unvaccinated Americans a new option, if regulators agree
• Millions of Americans can’t isolate from COVID in the home. Here’s what experts suggest.
• How can I get Paxlovid, the COVID-19 pill? Access to COVID treatments remains a challenge
• Is Omicron driving a surge in “incidental” COVID hospitalizations?
• Study finds vaccination doesn’t reduce fertility for women, but men catching COVID might
• Biden administration to give out 400 million free N95 masks
• Free COVID-19 test rollout begins early online
• COVID-19 symptoms and the Omicron variant: What the latest studies show
• Why do COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests produce different results?
• CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccine boosters down to age 12
• CDC stops short of requiring test for ending COVID isolation, but says they’re the “best approach”
• Omicron now 95% of new COVID-19 infections in U.S., CDC estimates